Anna Rogowska after her 4.80m clearance at the Polish championships, her highest in three years (© Adam Nurkiewicz - Mediasport)
The Polish national championships, taking place during the weekend (31 July – 2 August) in Poland’s prime athletics arena, the Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, served as the final pre-World Championship test for the national team.
Helped by good weather conditions, some of the Polish top athletes achieved performances which confirmed their Berlin medal ambition, most prominent among them Anna Rogowska's vault of 4.80m, Anita Wlodarczyk’s 75.74m in the Hammer Throw and Tomasz Majewski’s Shot Put of 21.17m. Others used this competition as the last chance to make the national team – the most spectacular case being Adrian Markowski improving his PB in the Javelin Throw by nearly six metres to 84.85m.
Renewed confidence for Rogowska
In absence of her main domestic rival Monika Pyrek, Rogowska easily dominated the Pole Vault competition. After clearing all heights up to 4.71m the first time, she had the bar raised to 4.80m and conquered that on her second attempt. The attempts at a new national record of 4.84m were unsuccessful, but after a recent win over Yelena Isinbayeva and now achieving her best mark since March 2006, Rogowska can look forward to the World Championships with confidence.
Another medal contender for Berlin, hammer thrower Wlodarczyk, confirmed she is in excellent shape despite recently splitting from her coach Czeslaw Cybulski. Wlodarczyk, who marginally lost in last year’s national championships to the late Kamila Skolimowska, won her first national title easily with 75.74m, her seventh competition over 75 metres this year, and backed it up with four more throws in excess of 72 metres.
Competing just two days after setting a world-leading mark in Stockholm, Olympic champion Majewski comfortably won the Shot Put competition, surpassing 21 metres yet again, this time by 17 centimetres.
With six-metre PB in the javelin, Markowski punches his Berlin ticket
The biggest surprise of the championships came in the men’s javelin throw competition. Until the last round, the contest was led by favourite Igor Janik with 77.53m. But in the last round came a real shock: 30-year old Adrian Markowski, second until that point, sent the spear flying nearly 6 metres beyond his PB, achieving 84.85m. Markowski, the European junior champion of 1997, thus qualified for the World Championship team at the last moment.
The same feat was achieved by Teresa Dobija. The 26-year old long jumper improved her PB by 12 centimetres to 6.74m, also achieving the A qualifying mark for Berlin. Another mark of significance was a new personal best for heptathlete Kamila Chudzik of 6.55m, good enough for second place.
Grzegorz Sposob likewise utilised the last chance to win a World Championship nomination. The 33-year old triumphed in the high jump with 2.31m, his highest jump in three years, with the World Junior silver medalist Sylwester Bednarek second at 2.25m.
Dariusz Kuc dominated in the sprints, also reaching the A standard for the first time this year with 10.21 in the 100m final, and adding a second title with an excellent, albeit wind aided, 20.46 (+2.3) in the 200m. Marika Popowicz was the clear winner of the women’s 100m with a PB of 11.38.
Another Berlin contender, Anna Jesien, did not have the best of days in the 400m Hurdles final, but despite a leg cramp during the race, she persisted until the finish to win in 56.19. In the men’s final, World Championship medalist Marek Plawgo, troubled by injury, was unable to use his last chance to qualify for Berlin, winning the title in a time of 50.39.
Grzegorz Sudol won the national title in the 20Km Race Walk in 1:21:49, confirming his status as a contender for a good placing in the World Championship 50 kilometre race. Behind him, Rafal Augustyn and Artur Brzozowski both dipped under the A qualifying standard of 1:22:30.
European under-23 champion Adam Kszczot won the 800m in 1:47.88, almost two seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Poland’s number one this year, Marcin Lewandowski, chose to compete in the 400m and ended up setting a PB of 47.76. The one-lap race was won by Marcin Marciniszyn in 45.96.
Two members of the World Championships team also scored impressive wins in the middle distances: Sylwia Ejdys ran 4:07.38 to win the 1500m by over four seconds, while Katarzyna Kowalska won the steeplechase by over 20 seconds with 9:49.06.
In the tightly fought women’s Discus Throw final, Zaneta Glanc emerged as the winner with 60.58m, ahead of Wioletta Potepa’s 60.17m. The 60-meter barrier was also broken in the Javelin Throw, as Urszula Piwnicka threw 60.02m to beat Olympic finalist Barbara Madejczyk.
Olympic silver medalist in the Discus Throw Piotr Malachowski, hampered by a finger injury, won the competition, but after a sub-par 64.15 he may decide to give the World Championships a miss and undergo surgery.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF
Polish team for the World Championships (season best in parentheses):
Men -
100m: Dariusz Kuc (10.21)
800m: Marcin Lewandowski (1:43.84), Adam Kszczot (1:45.72)
Marathon: Henryk Szost
3000m steeplechase: Tomasz Szymkowiak (8:21.32)
110m hurdles: Artur Noga (13.46)
High jump: Grzegorz Sposob (2.31), Sylwester Bednarek (2.28)
Pole vault: Lukasz Michalski (5.71)
Shot put: Tomasz Majewski (21.95)
Discus throw: Piotr Malachowski (68.75)
Hammer throw: Szymon Ziolkowski (78.93)
Javelin throw: Adrian Markowski (84.95), Igor Janik (83.52)
20km walk: Jakub Jelonek (1:22:17), Artur Brzozowski (1:22:23)
50km walk: Rafal Augustyn (3:52:16), Grzegorz Sudol, Rafal Fedaczynski
4x100m: Dariusz Kuc, Robert Kubaczyk, Kamil Masztak, Michal Bielczyk, Mikolaj Lewanski
4x400m: Jan Ciepiela, Rafal Wieruszewski, Piotr Klimczak, Kacper Kozlowski, Marcin Marciniszyn
Women -
100m: Marika Popowicz (11.38)
800m: Anna Rostkowska (1:59.77)
1500m: Sylwia Ejdys (4:02.30), Lidia Chojecka (4:04.83)
3000m steeplechase: Katarzyna Kowalska (9:34.07)
100m hurdles: Joanna Kocielnik (13.16)
400m hurdles: Anna Jesien (54.31)
High jump: Kamila Stepaniuk (1.93)
Pole vault: Anna Rogowska (4.80), Monika Pyrek (4.78), Joanna Piwowarska (4.46)
Long jump: Teresa Dobija (6.74)
Triple jump: Malgorzata Trybanska (14.17)
Discus throw: Zaneta Glanc (63.96), Wioletta Potepa (63.24), Joanna Wisniewska (61.78)
Hammer throw: Anita Wlodarczyk (76.59)
Javelin throw: Urszula Piwnicka (63.53), Barbara Madejczyk (58.83)
Heptathlon: Kamila Chudzik (6378), Karolina Tyminska (6191)
20km walk: Agnieszka Dygacz (1:32:39)
4x100m: Iwona Ziolkowska, Iwona Brzezinska, Marika Popowicz, Joanna Kocielnik, Dorota Jedrusinska
Helped by good weather conditions, some of the Polish top athletes achieved performances which confirmed their Berlin medal ambition, most prominent among them Anna Rogowska's vault of 4.80m, Anita Wlodarczyk’s 75.74m in the Hammer Throw and Tomasz Majewski’s Shot Put of 21.17m. Others used this competition as the last chance to make the national team – the most spectacular case being Adrian Markowski improving his PB in the Javelin Throw by nearly six metres to 84.85m.
Renewed confidence for Rogowska
In absence of her main domestic rival Monika Pyrek, Rogowska easily dominated the Pole Vault competition. After clearing all heights up to 4.71m the first time, she had the bar raised to 4.80m and conquered that on her second attempt. The attempts at a new national record of 4.84m were unsuccessful, but after a recent win over Yelena Isinbayeva and now achieving her best mark since March 2006, Rogowska can look forward to the World Championships with confidence.
Another medal contender for Berlin, hammer thrower Wlodarczyk, confirmed she is in excellent shape despite recently splitting from her coach Czeslaw Cybulski. Wlodarczyk, who marginally lost in last year’s national championships to the late Kamila Skolimowska, won her first national title easily with 75.74m, her seventh competition over 75 metres this year, and backed it up with four more throws in excess of 72 metres.
Competing just two days after setting a world-leading mark in Stockholm, Olympic champion Majewski comfortably won the Shot Put competition, surpassing 21 metres yet again, this time by 17 centimetres.
With six-metre PB in the javelin, Markowski punches his Berlin ticket
The biggest surprise of the championships came in the men’s javelin throw competition. Until the last round, the contest was led by favourite Igor Janik with 77.53m. But in the last round came a real shock: 30-year old Adrian Markowski, second until that point, sent the spear flying nearly 6 metres beyond his PB, achieving 84.85m. Markowski, the European junior champion of 1997, thus qualified for the World Championship team at the last moment.
The same feat was achieved by Teresa Dobija. The 26-year old long jumper improved her PB by 12 centimetres to 6.74m, also achieving the A qualifying mark for Berlin. Another mark of significance was a new personal best for heptathlete Kamila Chudzik of 6.55m, good enough for second place.
Grzegorz Sposob likewise utilised the last chance to win a World Championship nomination. The 33-year old triumphed in the high jump with 2.31m, his highest jump in three years, with the World Junior silver medalist Sylwester Bednarek second at 2.25m.
Dariusz Kuc dominated in the sprints, also reaching the A standard for the first time this year with 10.21 in the 100m final, and adding a second title with an excellent, albeit wind aided, 20.46 (+2.3) in the 200m. Marika Popowicz was the clear winner of the women’s 100m with a PB of 11.38.
Another Berlin contender, Anna Jesien, did not have the best of days in the 400m Hurdles final, but despite a leg cramp during the race, she persisted until the finish to win in 56.19. In the men’s final, World Championship medalist Marek Plawgo, troubled by injury, was unable to use his last chance to qualify for Berlin, winning the title in a time of 50.39.
Grzegorz Sudol won the national title in the 20Km Race Walk in 1:21:49, confirming his status as a contender for a good placing in the World Championship 50 kilometre race. Behind him, Rafal Augustyn and Artur Brzozowski both dipped under the A qualifying standard of 1:22:30.
European under-23 champion Adam Kszczot won the 800m in 1:47.88, almost two seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Poland’s number one this year, Marcin Lewandowski, chose to compete in the 400m and ended up setting a PB of 47.76. The one-lap race was won by Marcin Marciniszyn in 45.96.
Two members of the World Championships team also scored impressive wins in the middle distances: Sylwia Ejdys ran 4:07.38 to win the 1500m by over four seconds, while Katarzyna Kowalska won the steeplechase by over 20 seconds with 9:49.06.
In the tightly fought women’s Discus Throw final, Zaneta Glanc emerged as the winner with 60.58m, ahead of Wioletta Potepa’s 60.17m. The 60-meter barrier was also broken in the Javelin Throw, as Urszula Piwnicka threw 60.02m to beat Olympic finalist Barbara Madejczyk.
Olympic silver medalist in the Discus Throw Piotr Malachowski, hampered by a finger injury, won the competition, but after a sub-par 64.15 he may decide to give the World Championships a miss and undergo surgery.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF
Polish team for the World Championships (season best in parentheses):
Men -
100m: Dariusz Kuc (10.21)
800m: Marcin Lewandowski (1:43.84), Adam Kszczot (1:45.72)
Marathon: Henryk Szost
3000m steeplechase: Tomasz Szymkowiak (8:21.32)
110m hurdles: Artur Noga (13.46)
High jump: Grzegorz Sposob (2.31), Sylwester Bednarek (2.28)
Pole vault: Lukasz Michalski (5.71)
Shot put: Tomasz Majewski (21.95)
Discus throw: Piotr Malachowski (68.75)
Hammer throw: Szymon Ziolkowski (78.93)
Javelin throw: Adrian Markowski (84.95), Igor Janik (83.52)
20km walk: Jakub Jelonek (1:22:17), Artur Brzozowski (1:22:23)
50km walk: Rafal Augustyn (3:52:16), Grzegorz Sudol, Rafal Fedaczynski
4x100m: Dariusz Kuc, Robert Kubaczyk, Kamil Masztak, Michal Bielczyk, Mikolaj Lewanski
4x400m: Jan Ciepiela, Rafal Wieruszewski, Piotr Klimczak, Kacper Kozlowski, Marcin Marciniszyn
Women -
100m: Marika Popowicz (11.38)
800m: Anna Rostkowska (1:59.77)
1500m: Sylwia Ejdys (4:02.30), Lidia Chojecka (4:04.83)
3000m steeplechase: Katarzyna Kowalska (9:34.07)
100m hurdles: Joanna Kocielnik (13.16)
400m hurdles: Anna Jesien (54.31)
High jump: Kamila Stepaniuk (1.93)
Pole vault: Anna Rogowska (4.80), Monika Pyrek (4.78), Joanna Piwowarska (4.46)
Long jump: Teresa Dobija (6.74)
Triple jump: Malgorzata Trybanska (14.17)
Discus throw: Zaneta Glanc (63.96), Wioletta Potepa (63.24), Joanna Wisniewska (61.78)
Hammer throw: Anita Wlodarczyk (76.59)
Javelin throw: Urszula Piwnicka (63.53), Barbara Madejczyk (58.83)
Heptathlon: Kamila Chudzik (6378), Karolina Tyminska (6191)
20km walk: Agnieszka Dygacz (1:32:39)
4x100m: Iwona Ziolkowska, Iwona Brzezinska, Marika Popowicz, Joanna Kocielnik, Dorota Jedrusinska
